Integrated circuit structure having floating electrode with discontinuous phase of metal silicide formed on a surface thereof and process for making same

ABSTRACT

A process is disclosed for forming an integrated circuit device, such as an EPROM device, with a floating gate electrode with a discontinuous phase of metal silicide formed on a surface thereof is described. The process for forming such a discontinuous phase of metal silicide on the surface of a polysilicon floating gate electrode for the device comprises the steps of depositing a first polysilicon layer over a substrate, and preferably over a thin oxide layer on the substrate capable of functioning as a gate oxide; then forming a very thin layer of a silicide-forming metal over the polysilicon layer; and heating the structure sufficiently to cause all of the silicide-forming metal to react with the underlying polysilicon layer to form metal silicide and to coalesce the metal silicide into a discontinuous phase on the surface of the polysilicon layer. When an EPROM device is to be constructed, the process includes the further steps of forming an first insulation layer over the structure; forming a second polysilicon layer over the first insulation layer; and then forming a second insulation layer over the second polysilicon layer. The structure is then patterned to form a dual gate electrode structure with a floating gate and a control gate. After doping of the underlying substrate to form the source and drain regions, a further oxide layer may be formed over the entire structure and contact openings may be cut to the source and drain regions and control gate electrode, thus completing formation of an EPROM device with a floating gate having a discontinuous phase of metal silicide on a surface thereof facing the control gate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to integrated circuit structures formed on asemiconductor wafer. More particularly, this invention relates to anintegrated circuit structure having a floating electrode with adiscontinuous metal silicide surface formed thereon, and a process forforming same.

2. Description of the Related Art

In the formation of integrated circuit structures on semiconductorwafers, it is sometimes desirable to provide, on a conductive elementsuch as an electrode, a roughened surface with high electric fieldregions. Such a roughened surface, for example, is useful on the surfaceof a floating gate facing the control gate in an erasable programmedread only memory (EPROM) device. Such a roughened surface, orasperities, formed on the floating gate of an EPROM device cause acontrolled breakdown of the oxide at a lower voltage between thefloating gate and the control gate, due to Fowler-Norheim tunneling,rather than a destructive breakdown through the oxide during dischargeof the floating gate electrode. However, such formation of a roughenedsurface of controlled texture and high dielectric field points, forexample, on a metal or silicon surface, is not always easilyaccomplished reliably and reproducibly.

Faraone U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,919; Fujii et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,505;and Hazani U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,583 all teach the formation of a floatinggate electrode with a roughened surface thereon. In the Faraone andHazani patents, a thermal oxide layer is grown on the surface of apolysilicon electrode, resulting in a roughened interface between thethermal oxide layer and the polysilicon. The thermal oxide layer is thenremoved, leaving a roughened surface on the remaining polysiliconelectrode. In the Fujii et al. patent, the roughened surface is formedon the polysilicon by controlling the deposition temperature and asubsequent oxide layer is placed over the roughened polysilicon surfaceto replicate the roughness in the oxide layer, thereby permitting asubsequent polysilicon layer to be formed over the surfaced-roughenedoxide layer to provide a polysilicon layer with its undersurfaceroughened.

It is also known to form a metal silicide layer over a polysilicon layerto form a roughened surface either in the metal silicide or in theunderlying polysilicon layer, when it is desirable to form a capacitorof extended surface area. Lu U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,752 teaches theformation of a roughened polysilicon electrode for use in forming acapacitor of extended surface area. A silicide-forming metal isdeposited over a polysilicon layer and the composite layer is thenheated to form a metal silicide. The metal silicide is then removed,leaving a toughened surface on the remaining polysilicon layer, whichforms one electrode of the capacitor.

Doan U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,081 discloses a process for roughening andincreasing the surface area of a silicon or polysilicon substrate of asemiconductor by forming a thin metal layer such as titanium over asubstrate which may be silicon or polysilicon; heating the metal layerand substrate sufficiently to cause a chemical reaction between thesubstrate and the metal layer to form a silicide layer and a thin layerof metal oxide-nitride on the silicide layer; then removing the metaloxide-nitride layer, for example, with a solution of ammonium hydroxideand hydrogen peroxide; and then removing the silicide with an etch suchas, for example, an HF acid dip; leaving a rough and irregular surfaceon the remaining silicon or polysilicon. The resultant roughened surfaceis said to be useful not only to increase surface area and thereforecapacitance of a DRAM storage cell; but also to provide better adhesionfor conductors or insulators; to reduce reflective notching inphotolithography; and to improve the efficiency of solar cells.

Chhabra et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,232 discloses the texturizing of asurface of a conductive structure to increase the storage capacitance ofa capacitor made using the texturized conductive structure as anelectrode of the capacitor. A layer of polysilicon is first depositedfollowed by deposition of a metal silicide layer, preferably asilicon-rich metal silicide. The structure is then annealed to alter thegrain size of the metal silicide and create silicon-rich grainboundaries. A wet etch is then conducted to remove the silicon in thegrain boundaries thereby texturizing the surface of the remaining metalsilicide. The process is said to be directed to a conventional stackedcapacitor DRAM fabrication process, or to a variety of semiconductordevices (such as VRAMs or EPROMs) and their subsequent fabricationprocesses, where polysilicon is used as a semiconductor and a metalsilicide may be added to enhance conductivity, such as the capacitorcell plates of a storage capacitor and where it is desirable to have theconductor surface take on a texturized surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises an integrated circuit device, such as an EPROMdevice, having an electrode, such as a floating gate electrode, with adiscontinuous metal silicide phase formed on its surface, resulting inthe desired asperities on the electrode surface; and a process forforming same. The process for forming such a discontinuous metalsilicide phase on the surface of an electrode such as a polysiliconfloating gate electrode comprises depositing a first polysilicon layerover a substrate, and preferably over a thin oxide layer on thesubstrate capable of functioning as a gate oxide; then forming a verythin layer of either a silicide-forming metal or a silicide over thepolysilicon layer; and heating the structure sufficiently to causesilicide formed while heating the structure, or the deposited silicide,to coalesce to form a discontinuous phase of metal silicide over thepolysilicon layer, resulting in the desired asperities and increasedelectric field points on the surface of the electrode. When an EPROMtype device is to be constructed, the process includes the further stepsof forming an first insulation layer over the structure; forming asecond polysilicon layer over the first insulation layer; and thenforming a second insulation layer over the second polysilicon layer. Thestructure is then patterned to form a dual gate electrode structure witha lower floating gate and an upper control gate. After doping of theunderlying substrate to form the source and drain regions, a furtheroxide layer may be formed over the entire structure and contact openingsmay be cut to the source and drain regions and the control gateelectrode, thus completing formation of an EPROM device with a floatinggate electrode having a discontinuous metal silicide phase on thesurface of the floating gate electrode facing the control gateelectrode, resulting in the desired increased electric field points onthe surface of the floating gate electrode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1-10 are fragmentary vertical cross-sectional views whichsequentially show the construction of an EPROM integrated circuitstructure having a floating electrode with a discontinuous phase ofmetal silicide formed on the surface thereof facing an upper controlelectrode.

FIG. 11 is a flow sheet illustrating the process of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention comprises a floating electrode type integrated circuitstructure with the floating electrode having a discontinuous phase ofmetal silicide formed on the surface thereof and a process for makingsame. Such a floating electrode integrated circuit structure having afloating electrode with a discontinuous phase of metal silicide formedon a surface thereof, and the formation of same, will be described belowwith respect to the formation of an EPROM device, by way of illustrationand not of limitation.

The term "discontinuous phase of metal silicide", as used herein, isdefined as a surface having coalesced nodules of metal silicide formedthereon resulting in a surface with localized regions where electricfields would be increased by more than 10% above the average electricfield, as measured in other portions of the same surface; i.e., asurface in which the electric fields are not homogeneous throughout thesurface.

Turning now to FIG. 1, a semiconductor substrate, which may comprise asilicon wafer, is shown at 10, having a gate oxide (silicon oxide) layer12 formed thereover, as the initial step in forming an integratedcircuit structure incorporating therein the floating electrode having adiscontinuous phase of metal silicide thereon of the invention.

In accordance with the invention, as shown in FIG. 2, a thin layer ofpolysilicon 18, having a thickness of from about 2×10⁻⁸ meters (200Angstroms) to about 5×10⁻⁷ meters (5000 Angstroms), is optionallydeposited over oxide layer 12 as a seeding layer for further deposition.Next a polysilicon layer 20 is then formed over oxide layer 12. Itshould be noted that the use of the term "about" herein is intended toindicate a value within ±1%.

Polysilicon layer 20 may be formed over gate oxide layer 12 by anyconventional process such as, for example, a CVD process whereby one ormore silicon-containing gases are flowed into a vacuum depositionchamber to deposit on a wafer therein. Examples of gases which may beused in such a CVD process to deposit polysilicon include silane (SiH₄),disilane (Si₂ H₆), and dichlorosilane (SiCl₂ H₂). However, any otherprocess capable of producing a layer of silicon may be used to formpolysilicon layer 20.

The thickness of the polysilicon layer will be dependent on the flowrates of the incoming gases, the temperature, pressure, and time ofdeposition. Preferably, the thickness of the deposited polysilicon layerwill vary from about 5×10⁻⁸ meters (500 Angstroms) to about 6×10⁻⁷meters (6000 Angstroms), and most preferably from about 2×10⁻⁷ meters(2000 Angstroms) to about 4×10⁻⁷ meters (4000 Angstroms), with a typicalthickness being about 3×10⁻⁷ meters (3000 Angstroms).

The conductivity of the polysilicon layer may be increased either byadding one or more doping agents, e.g., boron, phosphorous, or arsenic,to the polysilicon as it is formed, or by implanting the polysiliconlayer, after formation, with one or more doping agents such as boron,phosphorous, or arsenic. Subsequent annealing to activate the dopant maybe carried out at the same time as the control gate electrode isannealed as will be discussed below. The amount of dopant which shouldbe added to the polysilicon layer to render it sufficiently conductivefor use as a conductive electrode in an integrated circuit structurewill vary from about 10¹⁹ atoms/cm³ to about 10²¹ atoms/cm³.

After formation of silicon layer 20 over gate oxide layer 12, in oneembodiment, a thin metal layer 30 may be deposited over layer 20, asshown in FIG. 3. Metal layer 30 comprises a metal capable ofsubsequently reacting with polysilicon layer 20 to form a metalsilicide. Such a metal may comprise, for example, a refractory metalsuch as titanium or tungsten. Examples of other metals capable ofreacting with polysilicon to form a silicide which may be depositedinclude tantalum, niobium, hafnium, molybdenum, cobalt, and nickel. Thethickness of metal layer 30 should be less than about 10⁻⁸ meters (100Angstroms). Preferably the thickness of deposited metal layer 30 willrange from about 10⁻⁹ meters (10 Angstroms) to about 5×10⁻⁹ meters (50Angstroms), and most preferably the thickness of deposited metal layer30 will range from about 10⁻⁹ meters (10 Angstroms) to about 3×10⁻⁹meters (30 Angstroms). This control of the thickness of the depositedsilicide-forming metal is very important to the practice of theinvention, since deposition of a thicker layer of such metal may resultin too much metal silicide being formed, which can, in turn, interferewith the subsequent desired coalescence of the metal silicide into thedesired discontinuous phase of metal silicide over the underlyingsurface of silicon.

After deposition of the controlled thickness of metal layer 30, thestructure may be annealed at a temperature at least sufficiently high topermit metal layer 30 to react with underlying polysilicon layer 20 toform a thin layer 34 of metal silicide over the remainder of polysiliconlayer 20, now designated, in FIG. 4, as 20a. It will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the thickness of metal silicide 34 iscontrolled by the thickness of deposited metal layer 30. That is, thethinner metal layer 30 is, the thinner metal silicide layer 34 will be,since the silicide-forming reaction ceases when all of metal layer 30has reacted with the underlying silicon.

The annealing temperature may range from about 500° C. to about 1000°C., but preferably will range from about 600° C. to about 800° C.,particularly, for example, when metal layer 30 comprises titanium. Theannealing may be carded out for a time period ranging from about 5minutes to about 2 hours in a conventional annealing furnace.Preferably, however, the annealing is carried out using rapid thermalannealing wherein the substrate is exposed to the annealing temperaturefor a period of from about 30 seconds to about 2-3 minutes, as is wellknown to those skilled in the art.

It will be noted that all of the silicide-forming metal in metal layer30 is used or consumed in the metal silicide formation step. That is, nounreacted metal remains after the anneal, so that only a thin layer 34of metal silicide is initially formed over remaining polysilicon layer20a. This is made possible by controlling the thickness of metal layer30. Control of the thickness of metal layer 30 then results in theformation of a very thin layer of metal silicide which will then, inaccordance with the invention, be coalesced into the desireddiscontinuous phase of metal silicide, as well as assuring completeconsumption of all of metal layer 30 during the silicide process, andobviating any need for subsequent removal of all or part of the metalsilicide layer. As a result of this formation of a very thin layer ofsilicide-forming metal, and the resultant consumption of all of thesilicide-forming metal comprising deposited metal layer 30, during thesilicide-forming annealing step, it is not necessary to subsequentlyremove any portions of metal silicide layer 34.

Since the purpose of the formation of metal silicide layer 34 onpolysilicon layer 20a is to subsequently provide a discontinuous phaseof metal silicide 36 over polysilicon layer 20a, not to form a metalsilicide layer per se, for example, to improve an electrical contact toa subsequently formed and filled via or contact opening, it is veryimportant that metal layer 30 be formed very thin, as previouslydiscussed. This will result in formation of a very thin metal silicidelayer 34, having a thickness ranging from about 25×10⁻¹⁰ meters (25Angstroms) to about 250×10⁻¹⁰ meters (250 Angstroms), and mostpreferably the thickness of metal silicide layer 34 will range fromabout 25×10⁻¹⁰ meters (25 Angstroms) to about 75×10⁻¹⁰ meters (75Angstroms). This thin layer of metal silicide will then be coalescedinto a discontinuous phase of metal silicide.

In accordance with one embodiment of the process, the structure is thenfurther heated to a temperature at which the thin layer of metalsilicide just formed will coalesce into the desired discontinuous phaseof metal silicide on the surface of polysilicon layer 20a. The minimumamount of additional heating needed to obtain the desired coalescencewill vary with the particular metal silicide, but usually will rangefrom at least about 50° C. to about 300° C. over the minimumsilicide-forming temperature. For example, when titanium silicide isformed, the silicide forming temperature ranges from about 600° C. toabout 650° C., so the structure should be heated to from about 700° C.to about 900° C. to cause the desired coalescence of the titaniumsilicide into a discontinuous phase of titanium silicide over theunderlying silicon, i.e., nodules of coalesced titanium silicide forminga discontinuous phase or film on the silicon surface.

This coalescence of metal silicide layer 34 into a series ofdiscontinuous nodules of titanium silicide on remaining polysiliconlayer 20a results in the formation of a discontinuous surface 36 onpolysilicon layer 20a, as shown in exaggerated form in FIG. 5.

It should be noted that while the above formation of metal silicidelayer 34 and subsequent coalescence of the metal silicide intodiscontinuous phase 36 on the surface of silicon 20a, the metal silicideformation and coalescence may be carried out in a single step byproviding a sufficiently high temperature for the metal silicideformation. For example, when titanium silicide is to be formed, sincethe silicide forming temperature ranges from about 600° C. to about 650°C., the structure should be heated to from about 700° C. to about 900°C. to cause the desired formation of metal silicide and coalescence ofthe titanium silicide into a discontinuous phase of titanium silicideover the underlying silicon in a single step.

Since the ultimate purpose of the formation of metal silicide layer 34is to form a discontinuous surface or phase of metal silicide 36 onremaining underlying polysilicon layer 20a, it is also within the scopeof the invention, in another embodiment, to deposit a metal silicidelayer per se over polysilicon layer 20 and then to heat the depositedlayer of metal silicide sufficiently to cause coalescence of thedeposited metal silicide to form the desired discontinuous phase ofmetal silicide, as discussed above with regard to the previousembodiment.

In this embodiment, the metal silicide would be directly deposited, forexample, by a sputtering process, to the same thickness as previouslydiscussed, i.e., a thickness ranging from about 25×10⁻¹⁰ meters (25Angstroms) to about 250×10⁻¹⁰ meters (250 Angstroms), and mostpreferably the thickness of metal silicide layer 34 will range fromabout 25×10⁻¹⁰ meters (25 Angstroms) to about 75×10⁻¹⁰ meters (75Angstroms). The deposited metal silicide is then heated to the sametemperatures as previously discussed for coalescence of the metalsilicide to the desired discontinuous phase of metal silicide.

After either formation or deposition of the thin layer 34 of metalsilicide, and coalescence of thin metal silicide layer 34 intodiscontinuous phase 36 on silicon 20a, an oxide layer 40 may be formedthereon for construction of an integrated circuit structure such as, forexample, an EPROM device with a floating gate electrode. Oxide layer 40may be formed, for example, by a CVD process, to a thickness rangingfrom about 2×10⁻⁸ meters (200 Angstroms) to about 2×10⁻⁷ meters (2000Angstroms), as shown in FIG. 6. Any conventional oxide depositionprocess may be used to deposit oxide layer 40 over discontinuous metalsilicide phase 36 and polysilicon layer 20a.

After formation of deposited oxide layer 40 over discontinuous metalsilicide phase 36 and polysilicon layer 20a, a further conductive layer50 may be formed over oxide layer 40, as shown in FIG. 7. Layer 50 willbe used to form the control gate of the EPROM device. Conductive layer50 may comprise a further polysilicon layer appropriately doped toprovide sufficient conductivity for the subsequently formed control gateto function properly.

Polysilicon layer 50 is deposited to a thickness which may range fromabout 10⁻⁷ meters (1000 Angstroms) to about 6×10⁻⁷ meters (6000Angstroms), preferably from about 2×10-⁷ meters (2000 Angstroms) toabout 4×10⁻⁷ meters (4000 Angstroms), and typically about 3×10⁻⁷ meters(3000 Angstroms).

After formation of polysilicon layer 50 over the structure, a furtherprotective or insulating layer 60 may be deposited by any suitableprocess over polysilicon layer 50, as shown in FIG. 8. Protective layer60 may comprise at least about 2×10⁻⁸ meters (200 Angstroms) of aprotective layer of an insulation material, such as, for example, oxideor nitride, to protect the structure prior to further processing.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9, the structure may be patterned, usinga photoresist mask 70, to remove selected portions of layers 12, 20a,40, 50, and 60, thereby exposing substrate 10. These exposed portions ofsubstrate 10 may then be conventionally implanted, as shown in FIG. 9,e.g., with arsenic or phosphorus, to form source region 80a and drainregion 80b in substrate 10 adjacent gate oxide portion 12a, floatingelectrode 20b (with discontinuous metal silicide 36a thereon), oxideportion 40a, control electrode 50a, and insulating portion 60a whichremain after the patterning step. For devices with small channellengths, lightly doped drains (LDD) may also be formed, as is known tothose skilled in the art.

The EPROM device of the invention may then be conventionally completed,for example, by the deposition of an insulation layer 90 over thestructure followed by the formation of contact openings 92, 94, and 96therein, respectively to source region 80a, control gate electrode 50a,and drain region 80b ; and the filling of contact openings 92, 94, and96 with a conductive filler material 100, such as, for example, dopedpolysilicon or tungsten, resulting in the structure shown in FIG. 10.

Thus, the invention provides an electrode, such as, for example, aconductive floating gate electrode, with a surface comprising adiscontinuous phase of metal silicide thereon for use in theconstruction of an integrated circuit structure such as an EPROM typedevice. The conductive member is formed, in one embodiment, usingpolysilicon and a very thin layer of silicide-forming metal depositedover the polysilicon, resulting in the formation of a thin layer ofmetal silicide on the surface when the structure is subsequently subjectto an anneal, by reaction of all of the silicide-forming metal with theunderlying polysilicon layer. This thin layer of metal silicide, uponfurther heating, then coalesces to form the desired discontinuous phaseof metal silicide on the polysilicon surface. By controlling the amountof silicide-forming metal deposited, the thickness of the resultingmetal sil is controlled, and the need for subsequent removal of any ofthe formed metal silicide, together with unreacted metal, is eliminated.

In another embodiment, the conductive member is formed by direct depositof a thin layer of metal silicide deposited over the polysiliconresulting in the formation of a discontinuous phase of metal silicide onthe surface when the structure is then heated to the coalescencetemperature of the metal silicide.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:
 1. A process for forming an integrated circuit structure with a floating gate electrode having a discontinuous phase of metal silicide on a surface thereof which includes the steps of:a) depositing a first polysilicon layer over a substrate; b) forming over said polysilicon layer a layer of a metal silicide sufficiently thin to result in coalescence of said metal silicide into a discontinuous phase upon subsequent heating thereof; and c) heating said structure sufficiently to cause said metal silicide to coalesce into a discontinuous phase on the surface of said underlying polysilicon layer.
 2. The process of claim 1 wherein said step of forming said layer of metal silicide over said layer of polysilicon further comprises the steps of forming a thin layer of silicide-forming metal over said polysilicon layer and then heating said structure to cause said silicide-forming metal to react with said underlying polysilicon layer to form said metal silicide layer.
 3. The process of claim 2 wherein said step of heating said structure to form said metal silicide and said step of heating said structure sufficiently to cause said metal silicide to coalesce to form said discontinuous phase of metal silicide are carried out in one continuous step by heating said structure to a temperature sufficient to cause said metal silicide to coalesce after it is formed.
 4. The process of claim 1 wherein said step of forming said layer of metal silicide over said layer of polysilicon further comprises depositing a thin layer of metal silicide over said polysilicon layer.
 5. A process for forming an integrated circuit structure with a floating gate electrode having a discontinuous phase of metal silicide on a surface thereof which includes the steps of:a) depositing a first polysilicon layer over a substrate; b) then forming over said polysilicon layer a layer of a silicide-forming metal sufficiently thin to permit formation of a metal silicide layer which will coalesce into a discontinuous phase upon subsequent heating; and c) heating said structure sufficiently to cause all of said silicide-forming metal to react with said underlying polysilicon layer to form a metal silicide and to cause said metal silicide to coalesce into a discontinuous phase on said polysilicon layer.
 6. The process of claim 5 wherein said step of forming over said polysilicon layer said layer of a silicide-forming metal sufficiently thin to permit formation of a metal silicide layer which will coalesce into a discontinuous phase upon subsequent heating further comprises forming a silicide-forming metal layer not exceeding about 10⁻⁸ meters (100 Angstroms) in thickness, whereby all of said silicide-forming metal will subsequently react with said underlying polysilicon to form said metal silicide during said heating step, and said metal silicide will coalesce into a discontinuous phase upon further heating.
 7. The process of claim 6 wherein said heating step further comprises forming from about 25×10⁻¹⁰ meters (25 Angstroms) to about 250×10⁻¹⁰ meters (250 Angstroms) of metal silicide.
 8. The process of claim 5 wherein said step of forming said layer of silicide-forming metal further comprises forming a layer of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, hafnium, molybdenum, cobalt, and nickel.
 9. The process of claim 8 which comprises the further steps of:a) forming an first insulation layer over the structure; b) forming a second polysilicon layer over said first insulation layer; c) then forming a second insulation layer over said second polysilicon layer; and d) then patterning said structure to form a dual gate electrode structure comprising a floating gate electrode and a control gate electrode.
 10. The process of claim 9 which comprises the further steps of:a) doping said substrate to form source and drain regions; b) forming a further oxide layer over the entire structure; and c) forming contact openings through said further oxide layer to said source and drain regions and said control gate electrode; to thereby form an EPROM device with said floating gate having a discontinuous phase of metal silicide on a surface thereof facing said control gate.
 11. A process for forming an EPROM integrated circuit structure with a floating gate electrode having a discontinuous phase of metal silicide form on a surface thereof which includes the steps of:a) depositing a first polysilicon layer over an oxide layer on a substrate capable of functioning as a gate oxide; b) then forming a very thin layer of a silicide-forming metal over said first polysilicon layer; c) heating said structure sufficiently to cause all of said silicide-forming metal to react with said underlying first polysilicon layer to form metal silicide and to cause said metal silicide to coalesce into a discontinuous phase on the underlying surface of said first polysilicon layer; d) forming an first insulation layer over said structure; e) forming a second polysilicon layer over said first insulation layer; f) then forming a second insulation layer over said second polysilicon layer; g) then patterning said structure to form a dual gate electrode structure with a floating gate electrode and a control gate electrode; h) doping said substrate to form source and drain regions; i) forming a third insulation layer over said entire structure; and j) then forming contact openings through said third insulation layer to said source and drain regions and said control gate electrode; to thereby form an EPROM device with a floating gate electrode having a discontinuous phase of metal silicide on the surface of said floating gate facing said control gate electrode.
 12. The process of claim 11 wherein said step of forming said very thin layer of silicide-forming metal over said polysilicon layer further comprises forming a metal layer not exceeding about 10⁻⁸ meters (100 Angstroms) in thickness, whereby all of said silicide-forming metal will react with said underlying polysilicon during said step of forming said metal silicide.
 13. The process of claim 12 wherein said step of forming said very thin layer of silicide-forming metal over said polysilicon layer further comprises forming a silicide-forming metal layer ranging in thickness from about 10⁻⁹ meters (10 Angstroms) to about 5×10⁻⁹ meters (50 Angstroms).
 14. The process of claim 12 wherein said step of forming said very thin layer of silicide-forming metal over said polysilicon layer further comprises forming a silicide-forming metal layer ranging in thickness from about 10⁻⁹ meters (10 Angstroms) to about 3×10⁻⁹ meters (30 Angstroms).
 15. The process of claim 12 wherein said step of forming said very thin layer of silicide-forming metal further comprises forming a layer of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, hafnium, molybdenum, cobalt, and nickel.
 16. The process of claim 12 wherein said step of heating said structure to form said metal silicide and to coalesce said metal silicide into a discontinuous phase on the surface of said polysilicon layer is performed prior to said step of forming said first insulation layer over said structure.
 17. The process of claim 12 wherein said structure is heated to a temperature of at least 50° C. above the minimum temperature required to form said metal silicide to thereby coalesce said metal silicide into a discontinuous phase over said first polysilicon layer.
 18. The process of claim 17 wherein said structure is heated to a temperature of from about 500° C. to about 1000° C. to form said metal silicide and coalesce said metal silicide into a discontinuous phase over said first polysilicon layer.
 19. A process for forming an integrated circuit structure with a floating gate electrode having a discontinuous phase of metal silicide on a surface thereof which includes the steps of:a) depositing a first polysilicon layer over a substrate; b) then forming over said polysilicon layer a layer of a silicide-forming metal sufficiently thin to permit formation of a metal silicide layer which will coalesce into a discontinuous phase upon subsequent heating; c) heating said structure sufficiently to cause all of said silicide-forming metal to react with said underlying polysilicon layer to form a metal silicide and to cause said metal silicide to coalesce into a discontinuous phase on said polysilicon layer; d) then forming an first insulation layer over said structure; e) forming a second polysilicon layer over said first insulation layer; f) then forming a second insulation layer over said second polysilicon layer; and g) then patterning said structure to form a dual gate electrode structure comprising a floating gate electrode and a control gate electrode.
 20. The process of claim 19 wherein said step of forming said layer of silicide-forming metal further comprises forming a layer of a metal selected from the group consisting of titanium, tungsten, tantalum, niobium, hafnium, molybdenum, cobalt, and nickel. 